Explain Muslim belief in God's predestination (qadar).

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] Candidates may start by explaining what they understand by God's predestination from a Muslim perspective, which is the belief that God has determined everything that happens in the universe.
2. [1] Nothing happens except by the will of God, as he has power and sovereignty over all his creation.
3. [1] Muslims also believe in the free-will of humankind, who have the choice to decide which path they take in life.
4. [1] Humans therefore are responsible for their actions and will be held accountable for them on the Day of Judgement.
5. [1] However, this choice is already known by God, so is their final destination in the hereafter, the knowledge of which is in the Preserved Tablet (Lawh al-Mahfuz).
6. [1] Candidates could refer to Qur'an 6.59 or 57.22 about God's omniscience, that God is aware of everything that humans do, every intention behind their actions.
7. [1] Candidates could also quote Hadith to support their answer, for example the one in Bukhari and Muslim about the angel who is sent by God to write down four matters, while the foetus is in the mother's womb; his means of livelihood, life-span, actions and whether he will be happy or unhappy.
8. [1] Muslims believe that humans should accept the decree of God in everything, and show patience in the face of calamity.
9. [1] When Muslims know that there is a day where they will have to give account for their deeds, they will be more careful about how they lead their life in this world.
10. [1] They will strive to keep away from committing sins and immoral actions in order to save themselves from hellfire, which is promised to the wrongdoers, for example in Qur'an 27.90.
11. [1] They will strive to lead a good life as they will want to reap the results of their actions in the hereafter. Candidates could refer to Qur'an 4.122 or any other verse to show that God has promised Paradise for those who believe and do good deeds.
12. [1] Belief in the afterlife would also remind Muslims that there will be a judgement after death and keep them on track, less they get deviated from their main purpose, which is to please God.
13. [1] Knowing that God will judge everyone's actions also helps Muslims to challenge injustice and lead a moral life, as they realise that there will be a day where justice will be done by God.
14. [1] Muslims also learn to have patience and to forgive those who mistreat them as they want their own actions to be forgiven on the Day of Judgement.
15. [1] On the other hand, belief in the hereafter may be said to be not enough to make a Muslim lead a moral life, other Pillars of Faith are also required, such as firm belief in God's attributes, or belief in in the prophets or the books also can lead a person to a more moral life by following the ways of the message of the past prophets in how they led a righteous life.
16. [1] Despite believing in the afterlife, a person can lead an immoral life due to other factors, such as negligence, laziness or weakness in their faith.